For some of my English spoken friends I‘ll present my cycling tour 2016 by an assembly of photo galleries, each corresponding to a closer region. The tour inspired me to a big story, some kind of mixture between fictional writing and report from touring events and natural descriptions as well. The wider sense of story is embedded in a historical background of the Waldensian and a historical figure of them. The Waldensian had been a religious group, living after persecution out of France territory (Lyon, even more southward like Luberon area) in some valleys of Occitan Alps (part of Piedmont Alps) like Val Chisone and others. During further persecution through Savoy rulers a part of Waldensian emigrated for example to parts of Germany like Württemberg at the end of 17th century. So there is a close a connection of former Waldensian in Stuttgart/Pforzheim region (my home area) to people in the Waldensian valleys in Piedmont. Even the names of villages remained in the foreign country of immigration like Pinache <-> Pinasca, quite similar still today.

I worked out a story, intending to make a book of this, but still not published. Besause of that, the story isn’t published in this International Bicycle Travel Forum – even not in the German section. The German version is covering some more datas, some important or fine adresses of restaurants, accomodations, museums, bicycle shops, a tribute to singer/musician Gianmaria Testa etc. If interested, take a look here: important adresses (German).

Another chapter makes recommendations of books from different kind of category like fiction/novel (Cesare Pavese, Davide Longhe, Sebastiano Vassalli), travel guides (i.e. a special one for GTA), specialist book about the Alps (Werner Bätzing, social geographer), some aspects of visited places (alternative living concepts of the Monte Verità). Known as a famous children book, „Pinocchio“ is on the agenda, too, because it inspired me deeply to my story. (First coloured illustrations of „Toscanian“ Pinocchio had done by Attilio Mussino, living in Piedmont and today painted on the houses of Vernante (route Cúneo – Col de Tende).) If interested, please take a look into the book recommendations (German). Searching for maps, take a look to Maps Piedmont, Liguria.

GTA = Grande Traversata delle Alpi, an important hiking trail from Switzerland through Piedmont Alps (main mountain ridge), finally covering Ligurian Alps and matching Mediterranean Sea at Ventimiglia (GTA on map). You get guarantee of way signs and accomodations in usual distances. In the wider sense the trail should combine alpine landscape, flowers and animals with regional service and products from local people, not just by visiting hiking huts, even further more by visiting villages in the upper valleys, too. The problem: You can’t ride this route on bicycle, even not with a mountain bike (just parts of it). My idea was to strengthen the wider sense by combining points of GTA in the upper valleys at the end of the roads. For that you have to ride a lot of the valleys upwards, but ride back the same way again. So getting the crazy structure of my route.

Of course, most of the roads are of asphalt type, some of them with very strong gradient, not much less than in the Eastern Alps. But I still added some of the most important military roads of the Alps with offroad character. They are known as LGKS and MSKS (German abbreviations), rigde mountain roads of Ligurian borderline and the Máira-Stura ridge. There is another one, called VMKS, which follows the ridge between Varáita and Máira valleys, but I didn’t get it, because of a serious accident and bad weather. Most oft he parts turned out rideable, but not all parts. You should know, too, that parts of the LGKS has been improved since a few years, and toll traffic by motorcyclists has increased a little bit. On MSKS main part, traffic of motor vehicles is forbidden at weekend.

Instead finishing at the Mediterranean Sea, I took more mountain and hill regions of Piedmont, known as Langhe and Alto Monferrato, with finishing day in the very east of Piedmont. Now knowing the structure, you can take a zooming look on GPSies track „Giro Piemontese Grande“. While Langhe is well known as world famous wine region (not to forget truffles and hazelnuts), Alto Monferrato is very unkown as an international touristic region.

Next you’ll find 10 chapters, each with tour datas and a photo gallery at the end. For looking to the photos, please click on the inviting photo of each gallery. If using single modus for each photo in the gallery, you can maximize photos to original size of 1,5 MegaPixel (1500 pixel in horizon, if format is 3:2). Please enjoy The Piedmont Alps & Apennines.

Dear Arnulf,that's the destiny of a moderator! But I think, the finishing line is closer than in the German version. Even you should be glad that I can't write in Spanish - you know there is a Spanish section, too. Maybe I take some Spanish lessons next year.

Hi Matthias, the tale of your trip, extremely appealing as usual, made me curious and definitely interested in this cross the Alps adventure. Except for just a few occasional trips I don't know the region at all ... so for me it's a good occasion for reading thoroughly the entire story and learn at the same time some historical background of the Waldesian people.At this point I'll be waiting also for your book .... hopefully available in English too I guess !!!Ciao, Gruß